It took nearly 40-years but I finally found it: The answer to my "holy blade search". The design of the 9-10-9 is altogether unique in the industry, employing two aerospace industry micro-carbon layers sandwiched between three thin slabs of the choicest vertical grain Cypress available. The result is nothing short of magnificence! A blade with the feel and power of a classic single-ply, the oversized sweet spot and power of carbon.. all in an unsplittable package.

Can you guess that I'm ecstatic about how the 9-10-9 turned out?! It's no wonder that I play with one myself (and I've got a sizable quiver of blades at my disposal, as you might imagine).

Reviews (2)

Charlie Smith of bladesbycharlie.com (BBC) is amazing and fine tuned when it comes to blades. After a 10 year hiatus, dusted off my Killerspin Diamond TX with Forza and Nitrx rubber sheets. I didn't want to invest in another blade, until I was introduced to Charlie. I researched BBC, read about all his blades, his work, the positive testimonials and excellent reviews. Charlie and I spoke in depth for a wonderful length of time. Charlie is Awesome and has a wealth of knowledge! He explained everything thoroughly and answered all my questions as well as gave his suggestions and advice. With this said, ecstatic as I was, in less than a week I received my 9-10-9, designed, handmade, custom built and quality control checked by Charlie himself! To give a true blade comparison and feel, I removed my old sheets and used them on the 9-10-9. The very first ball I hit was unbelievable! Everything Charlie described about this blade, I was able to feel immediately. It was very sweet. I was able to attack over the table easily and loop off the table as well. I did well blocking on and off the table, as well as drives, chops and smashes. The combination of power, speed and control are quite balanced in this blade. You can tell this blade to do what you want it to, when you want it to, if you apply yourself to the moment. I believe this blade truly defines who you are and expresses who you can become. It also sets the standard of quality, for Charlie's blades as a perfect piece of artwork and also for its true applicable purposes. In a one word food description, the 9-10-9 is a gastronomic blade! I believe any handmade blade by Charlie, can easily match or exceed any production run blade on the market. Wether you are a beginner or a master to the sport of table tennis, with Charlie's more than 40+ years of knowledge and experience, Charlie will have a great blade recommendation for you. You truly have to hit with Charlie's blades, to feel the quality in perfection for yourself.

Extremely reliable and surprisingly controllable carbon blade from Charlie (BBC). Being made from three rather thick (around 2.5 mm) layers of american Hinoki, it has softish and very controllable outer surface which allows for nice short game and control over the table. At the same time, it is an OFF blade (somewhat faster than my Nexy Color or 729 V-6) which easily delivers tons of speed and power when you apply yourself. The only downside (compared to thinner and slower blades) is its lesser looping ability - however, given the right rubbers it loops quite confidently. But still it is rather stiff and as such plays extremely well in flatter styles - blocking, smashes, drives and will serve well pips-out players as well. Plays very well with tensors and with thick rubbers of almost any kind.